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Mensan Mountains
by Alexandra Borovic

When I was a student, some time after New Year's Eve, I would hear the following sentence: "When shall we go skiing?" There was no doubt, it meant: when exactly we, a swarm of students, were going down to Kopaonik for a week's enjoyment of winter sports. Somewhat later the question changed into: "Shall we go skiing?" It was a few of us, remaining enthusiasts, able to spend some time and money on it, who asked it. Because the big company was gradually melting away, as some new responsibilities and priorities arose in our lives. And Kopaonik, that used to be only ours, suddenly became the property of some "nouveaux riches", and we could not manage to go there for more than a long weekend, at the end of season. One spontaneously grows accustomed to the situation and, as times went by, I started to wonder whether I was at all capable of skiing any more, whether I wanted to spend half my annual leave there... And what remained was a wistful memory of some long-past, warm winters on Kopaonik.

I must admit that my first seven-day winter holiday with Mensa members dissipated all my doubts in a second. Yes, Kopaonik still deserved my devotion, though it had its faults. And, yes, I was not for the scrapheap yet, I could still ski, rush down the beautiful slopes, dotted with juniper and pine trees, whose branches sank under the weight of the snow cover, from the beginning till the end of cable cars' opening hours. That was something I rarely did even in my youth, but the ambitious Mensa members gave me neither time nor opportunity to think about that.

For those who have not heard of Kopaonik, here are some facts. Kopaonik is not only the most attractive winter sports centre in Serbia, it has always been and always will be a meeting place for those in love with the marvellous nature, for passionate Alpinists and skiers, for those who enjoy spending evenings by the fireplace sipping mulled wine, for collectors of the forest fruits etc. Here you can find tourists all year. And everyone will in every season find some adequate pastime.

The natural resources of this massif have inspired enthusiasm since as early as the 19th century. They are for big part the reason why the great Serbian scientist, botanist and the first president of the Serbian Academy of Science, Josip Pancic (1814-1888), devoted his work to Kopaonik. And the highest peak on Kopaonik was named after him - Pancicev vrh (Pancic's peak), at 2017 m. During the last century, environmentalists estimated that the nature of Kopaonik had deserved the status of National Park. The whole complex which starts at Jošanicka banja in the north and stretches for the whole 75 kilometres to the south, has been placed under the highest level of ecological protection.

If you come to Kopaonik during the warmer part of the year, you will tread among wild strawberries, raspberries, currants and especially blueberries, demurely peeking through the leaves in wooded areas. You will also find various mushrooms, many of which are edible (beware, there are also poisonous ones, just like the one from the fairy tale - Amanita Muscaria, also known as death cap) and huge antholes; above you, eagles will proudly soar to the hights above and, when you reach some of the peaks, you will have a view of half Serbia below you. It is a mighty feeling, trust me!

Hiking can also lead you to huge, unusual rocks of unknown origin, resembling a ruined castle made of Lego blocks. It is not a small pleasure to push yourself between these giants, especially when, after all your effort, you get a beautiful view of the lowlands. The hiking trail to Brzece will get you to Samokovka waterfall, to some of the still active mines (numerous ores can be found here: lead, zinc, silver), after which Kopaonik was named. The autumn colours of the local forests inspire any poet, and lovers stroll along the slopes of Kopaonik, dazed by the intoxicating air, the sun and the smells of this beautiful nature.

When this massif is covered with snow, the time of the winter sports enthusiasts begins. Then Kopaonik waits on you with its 57 kilometers of ski runs of all categories, 20 kilometres of Nordic tracks, night ski runs, skating rink. 22 ski lifts will take you to different peaks, all of which are extraordinarily well connected, which enables you to go all over the mountain. Some of the cable cars are brand new and modern, and make it possible to travel distances of several hundred metres in a few minutes. You will never be bored, because in the course of a day you never have to take the same track. And in the charming bars next to the ski run, there is a refreshment ready for you round the hearth: from warm beverages to some of Serbian national specialities, such as gibanica (cheese and egg pie) or proja (a type of corn bread).

The beauties of Kopaonik are one thing and good company is something without which even beauty lacks its lustre. What can I say: when you find yourself spending your winter holidays with 30-something cheerful, interesting, companionable people, things cannot go wrong. There is always an interlocutor for any subject, a companion for a walk, a supporter of your idea. And a partner for interminable games of preference, whist or rummy. You can also always find somebody whose skiing pace suits you, or in the worst case, a kind soul who will adapt his/her pace to your abilities. There can be always found a volunteer to fetch drinks for the whole company, to make some coffee or boil some wine or to fill in the football coupons for all those interested.

In such company it does not matter where you go out. I am sure nobody regretted not frequenting fancy places, full with more or less puffed-up folks, so we spent only a few evenings in the most famous haunts. Although I had for a long time disliked feeling like a smoked sardine, it was good spending an occasional evening with the whole crew in "Ski škola", watching a rather good-looking, long-haired, skimpily-dressed blonde, who was heating up the atmosphere with her dancing. The rest of the evenings we spent at more relaxed places with unbelievably low drink prices, which I had not seen in Belgrade for a long time.

A favourite gathering place during the opening hours of the ski runs, and in the evenings, is definitely students' mountain hostel Rtanj. Attractive, built of logs in real mountain-style, sadly it was burnt down several times. Now rebuilt, it offers hospitality to skiers and mountaineers in its four-bed rooms with bathroom, popular prices and home-made food. If you return from the ski run into its hall with a hearth, Odžaklija, you can have mulled wine, tea, coffee and other drinks at prices considerably lower than those in Belgrade. You can also eat the widely-known wedding cabbage, beans or have doughnuts as a dessert.

Not far from Rtanj is Kopaonik Hostel, with real ''mountaineering'' rooms and a shared bathroom, and even more favourable prices. In the evenings its dining room, like an ale-house, is crowded with Alpinists and skiers who play pantomime, discuss ski runs events and watch TV. All that is accompanied by obligatory home-made blueberry juice, mountain tea or other alcohol or soft drinks. It’s an extraordinary, warm and friendly atmosphere. It is also possible to buy wild strawberries and blueberries conserve and home-made jams.

A few more words on various offers on Kopaonik. After daily exertions you can also relax in some of the pools in Grand Hotel or Club A Hotel. Although the prices do not suit all pockets, there are many guests who decide to spend the evening in the warm water of the pool and pleasant massage of the jacuzzi. Kopaonik also offers a possibility, though minimal, to maintain contact with your life by Internet: there is only one internet-cafe in Grand Hotel. Its uniqueness determines the price of the service. So, unless it is a matter of life and death, to try to relax and enjoy yourself. All your jobs, the usual rat race will be waiting for you around the corner, as soon you return from Kopaonik into real life.

In order to preserve and improve sports spirit in Mensa, we organized a competition as well. With a coordinated action of the Presidency of Mensa Serbia and PDP SIG, and by courtesy of Genex Tourist Centre Kopaonik, in 2005, the first Mensa Serbia Ski Cup was held. The guys from Genex not only set the gate poles for us and provided radio link and time metering, but also were willing to pull us to the start on their snowmobile, because the ski lift on that ski run had broken down. Fortunately, it was repaired in time, so after all we did not have a stunt-driving exhibition and use snowmobiles as Huskies. Later we realized it could not have possibly passed as we had expected. We actually wanted the three male candidates, who had the best time to repeat their performance, so as to make the result more fair. But when they hooked their ski sticks to the snowmobile, to pull them again to the start, the snowmobile just sank into the snow as in shifting sands and it became obvious it was not the best idea. However, the guys performed again, the result was confirmed and we got the winner of the 1st Mensa Ski Cup.

Last winter, we organized competition on the night ski run for parallel slalom, which was lent to us by Mountain Rescue Team. And that was quite an experience too, and for many of us the first night skiing, despite a long skiing experience. We did not mind the fact that there were both absolute beginners and nearly professionals among us. It was important to participate and have fun. The fun, as it was natural, ended by a final party in our hostel, when the well-deserved medals were awarded.

First published in VISA issue 70 (Dec 2006)